Traveling to Ancient Times: My Space Contains Weapons

Chapter 420 The Emperor Invites Me to the Capital

Zhou Shixun looked at Chen Qingxuan and asked with a surprised expression.

Chen Qingxuan mumbled a few perfunctory "uh-huh"s and slowly walked to the side.

Inwardly, however, he was cursing and thinking, "What do you know? I'm sacrificing myself for love."

Seeing that Chen Qingxuan didn't seem to care much about him, Zhou Shixun turned his attention to Chu Chen.

"Don't stand there, Chu boy, it's freezing cold. Hurry up and get in the car with the Taoist priest."

As she spoke, she stepped forward and pulled Chu Chen towards the carriage.

Chu Chen had no choice but to follow him onto the carriage. As soon as he entered the carriage, a wave of heat swept over him.

Along with it came a pungent smell.

Chu Chen stared intently and exclaimed, "Holy crap, Uncle Zhou, you're really not afraid of death!"

Inside, there was a charcoal stove with flames roaring, though the charcoal wasn't fully burned yet.

Incidentally, it was also emitting a little smoke.

Chu Chen picked up the charcoal stove and threw it out, then opened the carriage window to let in some fresh air.

Seeing Chu Chen's actions, Zhou Shixun asked in confusion, "Chu boy, what are you doing?"

"Um, Uncle Zhou, how long have you been burning this thing?"

"Haha, not long after we entered the pass, they were worried I would get cold, so they lit a fire for me."

Chu Chen thought to himself that it was good that Zhou Shixun hadn't inhaled it for long, otherwise, Zhou Shixun wouldn't have been able to get through this pass today.

"It's so warm right now, why did you throw it away, Chuwazi?"

"Uh, Uncle Zhou, this stuff is poisonous!"

Upon hearing this, Zhou Shixun immediately tensed up: "It's poisoned! There are always troublemakers trying to harm your Uncle Zhou! Guards...!"

"Uncle Zhou, you mustn't."

When Chu Chen saw that he was about to call for help, he immediately understood what he meant: to arrest the charcoal burners, torture them severely, and then behead them as a warning to others.

"Oh, why did Chuwa stop me?"

"Well, according to my analysis, this poison wasn't intentionally placed. Rather, in such a confined space, lighting a charcoal fire for warmth is tantamount to suicide."

Then, Chu Chen explained to him why burning charcoal in a confined space could cause poisoning.

Zhou Shixun frowned after hearing this: "Chuwa, are you saying that burning charcoal produces a kind of gas, a poisonous gas, that can kill people?"

"That's right, not just charcoal, but coal as well."

"Chu boy, Uncle Zhou knows about charcoal, but what is this coal?"

You don't know coal? Does that mean the world hasn't started using coal yet?

Chu Chen searched his memory, but he had never seen anything like it before.

So Chu Chen quickly asked again, "Uncle Zhou, is this charcoal expensive?"

"Expensive? How could it not be expensive? Charcoal itself comes from wood. Burning wood into charcoal increases costs significantly, and it's not easy to make. So most ordinary people in the Great Xia cannot afford charcoal."

Chu Chen laughed when he heard this; business had come his way.

Considering that tobacco production would harm the health of the entire Xia people, let's go into the coal business instead.

So he said, "Uncle Zhou, I've thought of what kind of business to do."

"Hey, Chu boy, you don't mean you're going to go into the charcoal business, do you? No way, this stuff is expensive, and few people can afford it, so it's not profitable at all."

"It's not charcoal, it's coal!"

"Hey, Chu kid, after all this commotion, you still haven't told Uncle Zhou what coal is."

Chu Chen didn't hide anything: "Coal is a kind of black stone from underground. After processing, it can be used as fuel to start a fire for warmth."

After hearing what Chu Chen said, Zhou Shixun immediately slapped his thigh.

"Haha, Chu boy, what you're talking about is Nirvana Stone, right? That stuff is no good. Although it can burn, it produces a lot of stone poison. How can a ruler of a country harm the people of my Great Xia?"

Chu Chen laughed when he heard this; it turned out that this thing really existed in the Great Xia Dynasty.

Moreover, it was discarded by the authorities because it caused carbon monoxide poisoning.

In that case, the deal is basically done.

The coal reserves in places that have never been mined must be terrifyingly large.

So he quickly said, "Don't worry, Uncle Zhou, leave it to me. I will turn this poison into a treasure that everyone in Great Xia can afford."

The mined coal needs to be washed with water to classify it and remove impurities.

The greatest thing the Great Xia Dynasty had in abundance was labor.

Therefore, this business is absolutely guaranteed to make a profit.

When the time comes, you can turn them into honeycomb briquettes and match them with a coal stove. With a little care, the so-called stone poisoning can be avoided to the greatest extent.

Hearing Chu Chen speak with such confidence, Zhou Shixun instantly realized the benefits of this item.

For Zhou Shixun, the things underground cost nothing; he could just dig them up. As for the labor costs, Zhou Shixun completely disregarded them.

As for labor, there are so many poor people, and plenty of people who are well-fed can do the work.

So he said to Chu Chen, "Alright, Chu boy, since you are so confident, then Uncle Zhou will wait for your good news."

"Let's not go back to Qingyun this time. Let's go to the capital with Uncle Zhou!"

After hearing this, Chu Chen thought to himself, "You old bastard, you're just trying to get me to do your work."

I'm fine with doing the work, but I have to get something in return.

So he quickly said, "Uncle Zhou, the deal is done, but the accounts need to be settled. What percentage of the coal business are you planning to give me?"

Zhou Shixun chuckled after hearing this: "Chu boy, are you short of money?"

"I don't lack it, so what? But I don't mind if the money is too little!"

"What percentage do you want?"

“Fifty percent… Uncle Zhou, you know, this thing is buried underground, and only I can turn it into a treasure.”

"Chuwazi, you don't know how hard it is for Uncle Zhou. For the sake of the people of this world, I am struggling to make ends meet, and the imperial treasury is empty!"

Chu Chen's lips twitched when he heard this. He thought to himself, "You're suffering. You have a whole harem of concubines, eating and drinking like royalty. Even when you go to the toilet, someone serves you. Is that what you call suffering?"

However, since he is the emperor, he can gain permanent income simply by offering a suggestion. Fifty percent is indeed a bit too much.

"Then Uncle Zhou, how much do you want to give me?"

"At most 10%, no more than that, Chu boy, just do your part for the people of Great Xia."

"Then I'll keep the usage instructions to myself."

After Chu Chen finished speaking, he prepared to get out of the car.

At this moment, Zhou Shixun also became anxious and quickly grabbed Chu Chen, saying, "Okay, okay, 20%, 20%!"

How could Zhou Shixun not be anxious? There's money buried underground, and this kid in front of him is the only one who can produce it.

And he's no ordinary kid; he's highly skilled in combat and the kind of guy who's always blowing up the imperial palace.

If it were anyone else, they would have been severely tortured in the torture chamber long ago.

In the end, after some haggling, they settled on a split of 30% for Chu Chen and 70% for Zhou Shixun.

However, there is one condition: Chu Chen only needs to provide guidance, and all other expenses will be covered by the royal family.

Chu Chen did some quick calculations and realized that his net profit of 30% might not be much less than what Zhou Shixun earned.